2020 In Review

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Syntax’s 2020 review reflects on tech predictions, separating wins from misses across CSS, JavaScript tooling, frameworks, and developer workflows. The hosts highlight the rise of ES modules, TypeScript, Snowpack/Deno, improved serverless and GraphQL tooling, and the broader shift to remote work, while noting setbacks like Houdini, npm Tink, and Suspense adoption. They close with sponsor reads, personal product recommendations, and optimism for 2021.

Main Topics: 2020 Tech Predictions: Hits and Misses: The hosts revisit their start-of-year predictions and score outcomes across CSS, package management, frameworks, and emerging tooling, emphasizing where adoption happened versus where hype outpaced reality. JavaScript Ecosystem Shifts: ES Modules, TypeScript, and Tooling: They discuss the broad move toward ES modules, the decline of CommonJS, the dominance of TypeScript over Flow/Reason, and bundler improvements in tools like Snowpack, Rollup, and Vite. Framework and Library Momentum: React Suspense lagged, while Svelte, Next.js, Gatsby, Apollo, and React Query saw meaningful progress or increased adoption, each improving developer experience in different ways. Serverless, Headless CMS, and Backend Simplicity: The episode notes easier serverless deployment, stronger headless CMS options (Sanity, Keystone, Strapi), and continued movement away from traditional monolith workflows toward lighter, more modular backends. Remote Work and Developer Collaboration: 2020’s shift to work from home accelerated webcam upgrades, remote pair programming, and collaboration tooling like Discord, VS Code Live Share, and Tuple. WebAssembly and Design Tooling: WASM is presented as practically useful rather than theoretical, with examples like FFmpeg in the browser and Figma’s performance benefits; design tools like Figma and Spline are framed as increasingly developer-friendly. Personal Recommendations and Sponsorships: The episode includes sponsored segments for LogRocket and FreshBooks, plus ‘sick picks’ for Innr smart bulbs and a weighted blanket, reinforcing the hosts’ habitual end-of-episode personal recommendations.

Key Arguments: ES modules became a central trend in 2020 because they now work across browser, Node, Deno, and modern bundlers, reducing reliance on CommonJS and heavy build steps. TypeScript effectively won the type-system race over Flow and Reason because ecosystem support, editor tooling, and package typings became ubiquitous. Yarn 2/plug-and-play did not become the dominant package manager shift many expected; npm improved enough that many developers switched back or stayed put. CSS subgrid and sticky became more practical, but Houdini and npm Tink did not mature enough for broad everyday use. React Suspense for data loading did not deliver on its early promise, especially because server-side rendering support remained unresolved. Serverless got much easier in 2020, especially with background/long-running functions and deployment platforms that lowered friction for small backend tasks. Headless CMS tooling is much better than before, but the WordPress plugin ecosystem is still a major differentiator that other ecosystems have not matched. WASM moved from novelty to practical utility, enabling real browser-side execution of non-JavaScript code and better performance for heavy tasks. Remote work changed the development stack itself, increasing demand for better webcams, better collaboration tools, and more effective pair-programming workflows.

Data Points: Syntax episodes produced in 2020: over 100 - The hosts celebrate not missing a single episode during a difficult year. FreshBooks sponsorship renewal: next year - FreshBooks re-upped sponsorship after listeners used the service. LogRocket trial length: 14 days - Promo offer mentioned during the sponsor segment. Meteor version at year start: 1.9 - Scott notes Meteor’s progress under new ownership. Meteor current version discussed: 1.12 - Shows the amount of movement after purchase by Tiny. Deno stable release: 1.0 - The hosts mention Deno reaching a stable API and ecosystem growth. Figma 3D app launch date mentioned: December 1st - They reference Spline’s upcoming release date during the design-tool discussion. Weighted blanket weight: 25-pound - Wes describes buying the heaviest blanket he could find. Number of Innr bulbs installed: 8 - Scott says he has connected eight cheaper Philips Hue-compatible bulbs. Cypress support expansion: Firefox and Edge support - Wes highlights broader browser support as a major development.

Pivotal Quotes: "We were so hopeful, young, and hopeful." — Scott: Reflecting on the beginning-of-year predictions before reviewing what actually happened in 2020. "I have seen the future and I would like to stay there." — Wes: Describing the appeal of compilerless, URL-based workflows in Snowpack and Deno. "It's so good when everything's a URL and there's not a build step or anything in your way." — Wes: Summarizing the hosts’ enthusiasm for simpler, closer-to-the-browser development models.

Implications: The industry is moving toward simpler, more interoperable, typed, and browser-aligned workflows. Developers should expect faster iteration, less build complexity, stronger TypeScript/ESM adoption, and more practical remote/serverless/WASM tooling in 2021 and beyond.